Fate
by Lady Elena Dawson
Summary: In an alternate ending where Padmé lives, she and Obi-Wan form an alliance to help each other in the aftermath of Anakin's betrayal. One-shot.


**A/N: This is my first SW fanfic. I've been watching all of the movies and I've especially been watching the prequels because I have so many friends who've been wanting to start the saga from Episode I, and I've been watching it with them. One of the things about the prequels I didn't like was Padmé's sudden death. Sure, it was more tragic and dramatic. But I don't believe she was that weak to die of a broken heart. Plus, in Episode VI, Leia tells Luke that she remembers her mother, who died when she was very young. (I know there are all those theories that she may be talking about her adoptive mother, but who really knows.) So I decided to change the ending of Episode III up a bit. This one-shot started when I was ranting to my friend about how bad I felt for Padmé and why she had to die. Then we talked about a Padmé/Obi-Wan friendship in the aftermath of Anakin's betrayal.** **I just wrote this for fun and have nothing else planned for it.**

 **I hope everyone enjoys! (I should probably say that I know almost nothing about this fandom except that a lot of people hate the prequels, so if you're a hater of the prequels and like to troll about it, I'd appreciate it if you didn't troll any fanfic writer about it.)**

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The woman felt weightless in his arms, despite the extra load she carried. But her breathing was so shallow, Obi-Wan began to worry what was going to become of the two innocents.

"Get her to the medical center, quickly," he commanded as he jogged off the ship, and was relieved of the burden of her fate for the time being as Padmé was taken away. It was only then that a pounding started behind his eyes and inside his skull that reminded him of the brother he never had dying in front of him—whatever was left of the young boy he'd trained and aided for the past thirteen years.

But it wasn't the Jedi way to grieve or mourn. Obi-Wan was capable of what Anakin was not able to do: letting go. So Obi-Wan cleared his mind and allowed the memory to pass—not that it would never haunt him. Letting go was made easier by the thought of less pain and suffering, something Anakin was dealing with for most of his short life. As much as Jedi had told him that it was dangerous to allow his hate and anger to develop into strong, unbearable forces that had branched off of fear, it seemed like Qui Gon was wrong in calling him the Chosen One. A person meant to bring balance could not be unbalanced and unpredictable in their emotions.

Obi-Wan let himself dwell on the "what ifs" for only less than a minute, but did not put hurtful blame on himself so much as sadly ponder what would have happened if he had spent more time teaching Anakin to level his feelings over lightsaber battle techniques and Jedi law. It was foolish of Obi-Wan to think that Anakin's maturing from a Padawan to a Jedi knight was not to be tainted again; the death of Shmi proved as much.

With those lingering thoughts, Obi-Wan focused his mind on helping others and rushed to the medical center to see if Padmé was to be destroyed along with her secret husband.

Obi-Wan watched patiently over Padmé as her head dropped to the side. "How are you feeling?" he asked her kindly while she put a hand to her throat and felt a couple bruises there—from Ani's hand, from the power he had, and she began to sob.

A sharp pain knotted in her belly and she shook her head. "I don't know what to feel," she cried, and a hand traveled over and down the small hill on her stomach. "What's going on? It's too early."

Obi-Wan glanced at Yoda, who was waiting through the glass partition of her room. "It was uncertain whether you were going to pull through or not," he explained calmly. "Thirty minutes ago we were told you were medically healthy, but it seemed like you were passing."

Padmé flinched as another cramp attacked her lower belly. "I feel fine," she said, "but my heart…"

"It's best if you don't think about what has transpired the past few hours," Obi-Wan interrupted her. "Focus on your children. You're all they have left now." Obi-Wan went on to explain how she'd been put into induced labor when it was believed she was to be lost, but she lifted a clammy hand to stop him. "Children?" she asked. Her voice croaked.

"Yes. Twins." She closed her eyes and brought a hand to her face to wipe off the tears she'd been shedding for Ani. For my children, she thought. They needed her. Anakin and his betrayal may have broken her heart, but she thought of how deluded he'd become, how vulnerable he was because of his fear. She remembered how destroyed he felt after his mother died. It came to her understanding that everyone was afraid of losing someone they loved. But it was tragic that Anakin was deluded into a promise he couldn't keep after he was unable to save his mother. Her rationalizing the situation made the difficulty of focusing away from what she'd lost decrease.

Obi-Wan noticed how the machines marking Padmé's vitals shifted, and he asked the nurse what was happening. "It appears that she is no longer dying," the droid explained in awe. "Physically the same, but mentally, spiritually… She is doing better."

Less than an hour later, a squirming baby boy was placed into Obi-Wan's arms, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but comment on how small he was.

"Ten weeks premature," the nurse said between Padmé's cries of discomfort. "I would be surprised if he weighed more than three pounds."

Babies were always symbols of innocence and new beginnings. Looking down at the infant Padmé named Luke in Obi-Wan's arms, Obi-Wan wondered what was to become of such innocence. After all, Anakin started the same way as anyone else in the galaxy, a blank slate. He was painted with promise and compassion, but those were easily tinted by what stemmed off of his goodness. "Hope that these children contain not the temptations of the dark side," Yoda told Obi-Wan later as he boarded his flight to his exile in Dagobah. "Hope that the hateful, fearful side of Skywalker they do not have."

A baby girl was born, adorned with the name Leia, and Padmé felt overwhelmed as she took Luke's tiny fist in her hand. "How lucky we could have been," she said, in which Obi-Wan had no response. "But now we have to hide away."

With the babies healthy and Padmé safe, the train of thought had to be shifted to what was to happen next. "Unfortunately, Padmé, Luke and Leia are descendants of who is believed to be the most powerful Jedi in the history of the galaxy. The Sith will look for them if they sense that they exist to exploit their powers just like with Anakin."

Padmé fought the temptation to chew her fingernails, a habit she'd had when she was a child. "What if…they don't have as much power as Ani had?"

Obi-Wan placed a sleeping Luke into his cushioned bin. "We can't risk it. And if Anakin survived this ordeal, then he will sense it more strongly than anyone else. If he knows you're alive, he will come after you, whether he senses the children or not."

Padmé could sense what was coming. "Should I…give them away?"

"I'm sorry, but that is the safest option. It's the safest option for you to hide as well."

Padmé glanced down at her lap, at the bracelet on her wrist and the monitor attached to it. She picked at it until it broke off, and the monitors began beeping in warning. The straight line indicating what was her heart rate made a high-pitched whine that woke Leia and caused her to whimper.

Since becoming Queen of Naboo, Padmé was not afraid of dying. "Then I must die," she said, and looking at her children prompted her to cry again, but silently. "We must make them believe that I died and the children were never born." Heartbroken, she picked up Leia and nuzzled her into her neck. "If I must leave them to someone else…"

It had been years since Obi-Wan had a breach of what was the best solution, and even longer since he expressed it out loud. "If we follow through with this plan of yours… Then maybe the children can stay with you."

…

Lord Sidious, recently given the title Emperor, lied to his new apprentice. In his attempt to destroy Padmé with the Force, she had pulled through with more strength than he was expecting. The plan he had, to kill Padmé off to further fuel Darth Vader's anger, had failed. But Darth Vader didn't know that. "It seems that in your anger, you killed her." It was as simple as that—or not so simple When Vader expressed that he still felt like she was alive and he couldn't believe it, it was easy to manipulate him in his vulnerable state and explain that it would take some time for the feeling to pass. Besides, the Emperor reassured himself, he was going to make sure that no trace of Anakin Skywalker existed in his apprentice.

But Anakin hadn't disappeared yet. Still in disbelief over what the Emperor told him about Padmé, Vader snuck away on a ship and flew to Naboo. The Emperor, sensing Vader's absence, was infuriated. After all, Padmé _wasn't_ dead. But the Emperor had lied to him about that, and the Emperor couldn't know what Vader was to find on her home planet.

The Emperor was in luck; Vader had found where Padmé's funeral had taken place. She'd been sent onto the water, her hair splayed out and adorned with flowers. Her hands were delicately placed over each other above the belly that hadn't bore. Reaching out his gloved hand, he pulled Padmé's death bed over to him, noticed the medallion he'd carved was with her.

It was then that the devastation broke him, that he could feel his own self-hatred cloud him. He wanted to take the necklace with him, but why need that reminder of what he had done?

Anakin Skywalker had killed his wife and child. Therefore, Anakin Skywalker should be no more. As Darth Vader, he would not have to live with that burden.

…

In a desolate village on Tatooine, Padmé pulled the cloak more closely around her face. Obi-Wan had been kind enough in offering to carry Luke, and she had bundled her children so that they could be protected from the harsh suns that burned the sand. It was Padmé's idea that Anakin's stepfamily would allow them to stay at their isolated place until they figured out what to do next; it had only been that early morning that she had left her own funeral, devastated by watching her people mourn her. But she had her children, she had Obi-Wan on her side. It was enough.

Obi-Wan handed her Luke, and she shadowed him from the sunlight. "Yoda has sent me here with specific instructions on my hiding. With both of us on this planet, it may not be safe."

Padmé shrugged her shoulders. "I have nowhere else to go."

Obi-Wan reached out to take her hand. "Promise me you won't stay here longer than you need to."

Padmé squeezed his hand. "Don't worry about me. I'll make a home elsewhere."

Luke woke up in her arms at that moment, revealing dazzling blue eyes. For such a young infant, Obi-Wan could see the resemblance to his old Padawan. "Whenever you need me, I'll be around."

After Padmé nodded and followed her new family indoors, Obi-Wan was preparing to ride off on his camel-like creature when Padmé came rushing out, curly hair flowing madly behind her. "Obi-Wan, wait!"

All she meant to do was thank him, despite the fear she felt of being on her own. "I may not have survived this without you," she said as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Take care, Padmé."

"May the Force be with you."

…

Four years later, Obi-Wan, more bearded than ever, raced to the edge of a small Tatooine village, where he hopped off his ride and smiled widely as two young kids ran out of their igloo-shaped home.

"Uncle Obi-Wan!" they both screamed, and Obi-Wan dropped to his knees so he could encase the younglings in his arms. "Luke, Leia, when did you get so big?"

Leia bragged, "Mommy says I'm taller than Luke by two centimeters!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Let's see," Obi-Wan said, and the twins lined up their backs to each other eagerly. "It looks like…"

"Don't count Leia's hair!" Luke exclaimed. At that moment, Leia had her mahogany-colored hair in a braid that was looped into a bun at the top of her head.

"Count it!" she counteracted.

"I'm sorry to say that Leia is a bit taller, Luke," Obi-Wan confirmed, and put a hand on top of Luke's sandy hair to prevent a fight from breaking out. "Where's your mother?"

Luke and Leia's competitive edge burned out and was replaced by an anxiety and sadness. "Inside," Luke said, turning away.

"She's been really sick," Leia explained.

Concerned, Obi-Wan ran into the house and saw Padmé coughing into a napkin while sitting at a table. "Are you all right?"

Rather than answer his question of concern, Padmé stood up and said, "It's wonderful to see you again, Obi-Wan."

"And I am glad to see you. The kids are growing up so fast." That was about as much as he could avoid the topic. "Leia told me you are sick."

Padmé glanced down at the floor as if she was ashamed, then gestured to a chair. "Please, sit."

The two watched as Luke sprinted into the house, grabbing the tree sticks he'd found at the market and running back outside. They could hear Luke and Leia yelling at each other as they fought with the sticks like lightsabers, despite never seeing a lighstaber in their lives.

"I went to the nearest doctor recently," she began to explain. "It seems like I cannot escape death another time."

Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair. "You're dying?"

Padmé nodded her head. "But I feel fulfilled. I had a family who loved me, people who loved me, I feel like I did my duty as a queen and a senator. My kids love me, I was able to watch them grow…" She paused in hesitation. "I've been having dreams."

"Of what?"

A glimmer shone in her eyes, and it turned into tears. "Anakin," she replied as if she couldn't believe it.

Obi-Wan didn't want to go down this road again. He was to spend the rest of his life dealing with Anakin's downfall, and he tried every day to not dwell on it too much. He had to keep letting go. But the woman was passing on into the Force, and he suspected that these dreams weren't just coincidence. "What happens in these dreams?"

Padmé sets her crumpled napkin on the table. "I'm outside playing with Luke and Leia, and this figure appears in the distance. When he gets closer, it's Anakin, the Anakin we remember, and he asks me if I missed him. And he said he spent the past few years fighting the dark side, and he was able to destroy it, like the prophecy predicted. He then explained the war he had with himself, to free himself from what he'd dug himself into. Obi-Wan, I never told you this… But even after all these years, after watching Luke and Leia grow up without a father, after being forced to make roots on this planet when I dreamed of raising my children on Naboo... Anakin brought all of these things upon us, yet I still believe… I still believe there's good in him." She paused to cough, and Obi-Wan wasn't sure what to say. He'd always seen Anakin as gone rather than hidden away.

"I want you to take Luke and Leia," Padmé said, startling Obi-Wan. "I trust you can find them a home where they will be loved."

"But Padmé… My place is here. Do you want them to stay here?"

Padmé smiled slightly. "I trust you and they trust you. All I want for them is to be loved."

A couple weeks later, Padmé had passed and Obi-Wan attended her funeral of him, Luke and Leia, and Anakin's stepfamily. "I wish I could take you back to your home on Naboo," Obi-Wan _wanted_ to say, but instead the family stood around silently. He draped his arms around Luke and Leia, whose eyes were rimmed red as they grieved their mother. "But that would raise questions we cannot risk, questions that will put Luke and Leia in harm's way."

"I don't want to leave!" Leia screamed as Obi-Wan tried to set her on the saddle of their ride. "I want my mommy!"

Luke stared into Obi-Wan's eyes as he obediently stayed where he was set. "Are we orphans now?"

Despite Padmé's belief that Anakin was still here, Obi-Wan couldn't believe that there was any chance that he wasn't permanently twisted by the dark side. "Do you want to stay with your stepfamily?" he asked the kids, gesturing to the man and woman patiently waiting by their own camel creature.

Leia clamped herself around Obi-Wan's leg. "I want to stay with you, Uncle Obi-Wan."

Crouching down so that he was eye-level to Leia, Obi-Wan gently took her shoulders. "I'm sorry I can't take you with me," he apologized to the small girl. "But I can visit as much as you want."

Angry, Leia pushed herself away from Obi-Wan and ran to Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. "I want to go with you," she cried, and let Aunt Beru lift her up so that she could cry on her shoulder.

Watching his sister, Luke said, "I want to go wherever Leia goes."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Tell your sister that I never plan on abandoning you two."

Luke sullenly dug his hand through the creature's furs. "We both know that already."

On the other side of the galaxy, Darth Vader could feel the Force shift around him. He felt devastated for reasons he couldn't explain. It didn't take long for him to dispel that feeling out of him. After all, Anakin Skywalker no longer existed. He died years ago.

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 **A/N: I couldn't think of a title for this story, so I called it "Fate" because I still believe that Anakin's premonitions of Padmé dying in childbirth meant something, and I took it as yes, she does die after having children, but she can die years after they're born; I also take his dreams as a sign that she also dies young. In the end, I don't believe Padmé was meant to live a long life. I wanted this story to reflect that she couldn't escape a fate like that.**


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